A look at the 2 NYC officers killed in an ambush shooting as they were sitting in cruiser

This photo provided by the New York Police Department shows officer Rafael Ramos. Ramos and officer Wenjian Liu were shot and killed Saturday, Dec. 20, 2014, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. The suspect, 28-year-old Ismaaiyl Brinsley, ran to a subway station and killed himself. (AP Photo/New York Police Department) (The Associated Press)

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This photo provided by the New York Police Department shows officer Wenjian Liu. Liu and officer Rafael Ramos were shot and killed Saturday, Dec. 20, 2014, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. The suspect, 28-year-old Ismaaiyl Brinsley, ran to a subway station and killed himself. (AP Photo/New York Police Department) (The Associated Press)

Officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu were in their marked New York Police Department cruiser on a Brooklyn street when a gunman opened fire on them, then fled to a subway station where he committed suicide. Police Commissioner Bill Bratton said the partners never had time to pull their weapons and might not have even seen their killer. The men were working out of the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn as part of a special detail to help with crime reduction in the area.

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RAFAEL RAMOS

Ramos, who celebrated his 40th birthday this month, joined the NYPD in 2012 after working as a school security officer. He was a lifelong Brooklyn resident, living in the same Cypress Hills section where he had grown up.

He was married with two sons: a 13-year-old and one in college. Rosie Orengo, a friend from church, said he was a leader there and an active participant in the church's group focusing on married life.

"He was always encouraging us in our marriages," she said, recalling that the last online post she saw from him was about appreciating and deepening love.

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WENJIAN LIU

The 32-year-old Liu had more job experience and had been a member of the police force for seven years. He moved this year to a home in Brooklyn's Gravesend section.